He sighed tiredly, his fingers massaging his temples as he waited patiently for Sarah to answer her communicator. “What is the point of having a communicator if you’re never going to answer it,” he thought as he listened to the fifth ring. Finally, on the sixth ring, Sarah answered her communicator. “Jake?” “yeah.” “What’s going on out there honey?” She asked worriedly. “The television keeps flashing a warning message to stay inside and away from any outside contact.” Jake leaned over the desk with his head down before speaking. “Remember Eric?” “Of course. Why?” “He left the hospital on sick-leave about a week ago because of flu symptoms. We called to check on how he was doing since he hadn’t heard from him all week. When we heard him on the phone he was having to gasp between every word and his breath was ragged and strained. Suddenly he dropped the phone on the floor and we couldn’t get him back on the phone. We rushed over to his house in the ambulance as fast as we could.” “Was he ok?” Sarah asked concernedly. “He was in cardiac arrest, we had to use the paddles three times before we were able to revive him and even then he remained unconscious.” “I hope he gets through it ok.” Said Sarah. “But what does his sickness have to do with the warnings?” “Eric’s case was only one in a few. We’ve had several older people die in the hospital from a strong flu-like illness and many others are coming in with flu symptoms. I’ve taken a look at Eric’s blood under the microscope and it’s an entirely new virus. I’ve never seen anything like it. We’re looking at the possibility of half of Haven being wiped out by this virus.” Jake sighed into the phone. “There’s no way to stop it unless peoples immune system can fight it off, which doesn’t seem likely considering what happened to Eric.” “All those people…” Said Sarah as she thought about everyone who could potentially die. “I know. And we have no way to stop it.” Jake’s thoughts turned toward his family. “How are you and Ashley.” “I’m fine but Ashley’s sleeping off as small headache she got at school today.” Jake’s gut immediately filled with tension. “Does she have anything other symptoms?” He asked shakily. “Just a slight stuffy nose…” She paused for a moment as realization dawned on her. “My God Jake, You don’t think she could have gotten it, do you?” Jake felt horrible. His stomach felt like it had just been bashed with hammer and he had trouble forming words. “I… I don’t know. You’ll have to bring her up here for us to check her blood. Dear lord I hope she doesn’t have it.” He recovered enough to allow his professional side to kick in and take control of the situation. “Sarah, I need you to go into the bedroom and grab two facemasks from the top dresser drawer. Place yours on first, put one over Ashley’s mouth, and drive here as fast as you possibly can.” “My God Jake. What if she has it? What are we going to do?” She asked frantically as worry consumed her. “Sarah, calm down. We don’t even know if she has it yet. It could just be allergies.”“yes, of course, allergies.” She said as she tried to calm herself. “I’ll be there as soon as possible.” “Ok, take care on the roads and I’ll see you soon.” He turned off the communicator and sat down heavily in the chair, thinking about what might happen to Ashley. He could envision her, lying still on the bed, her head tilted lifelessly to the side, her skin pale and wrinkled, white pustules covering her skin, her eyes staring lifelessly at the ceiling. “God,” he moaned as the picture filled his head. “God no, please, not Ashley… not Ashley…” He said as he the rocked back and forth in the chair, his head resting in his hands with his eyes closed shut tightly. "Hey, I'm supposed to report to you about this epidemic thing?" The voice said, interrupting his thoughts. In front of him was a young LEP officer, no doubt sent by Allen. The interruption of his thoughts had reminded him of all the other patients that were suffering in the hospital and how he had a job to do. He forced the picture of his daughter as far back in his head as he could and focused on what needed to be done. The first thing he noticed was that the officer didn’t have a bio suite on. “What are you doing?” he said harshly. “We’re in the middle of an epidemic and you don’t have a bio suite on? Do you want to get sick?” Jake reached under the desk and pulled out a spare bio suite and thrust it into the officer’s arms. “Here put this on so you don’t get sick. After you’ve put it on report immediately to the left side hallway. I need you to bring up some equipment from my lab and to help me with the blood samples.”

Mark Twain ~ "Let first assume that you are a member of congress, let us further assume that you are an idiot, But I repeat myself."

98% of teenagers do or have tried smoking pot. If you're one of the 2% who hasn't, copy & paste this in your signature."Common sense is not intelligence, common sense is simply the ability to not make yourself look stupid.""Sharp pointy teeth" & " I fart in your general direction" & "you mother was a hampster and your father smelt of elder beries". guy 1: - Who's thatguy 2: - I think its a kingguy 1: - Why do think that? guy 2: - cause he hasn't got sh$t all over him! - Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Jessie looked around the room, worried parents embraced scared children. In the background the news went on. How depressing. She thought to herself as she got to her feet and began flipping through the channels. It seemed that the only thing on was the flu epidemic. She pouted and placed the remote back onto the table.

She grabbed a nearby chair and placed it under the television. If she re-routed it right, she would be able to get Mud Men cable. Not the greatest of television, but it beat listening to the news. She could even possibly find something for the children, get their minds off it. Carefully, she began to work the television. It crackled as it began the switch. Slowly, an image could be seen appearing on the screen. She smiled as the image finally appeared. Quickly, she flipped through the channels manually and stopped on a movie.

She jumped down, and watched the kids leave their parents and circle around the television.

"Thank you," one parent said.

Jessie smiled. "It was nothing," she replied. She looked at the nurses, who all looked tired. Quietly, she walked over to them and placed a hand on one of their shoulders. "Is there anything I can do? Any, mechanical work that needs to be done?" She asked.

The nurse looked over at her, before turning to her partner. They whispered and turned back to Jessie. "Come with us. We'll ask Doctor Lilian."

Quickly, they walked down the hallway to Doctor Lilan's office. The first nurse stepped in.

"Doctor, we have someone who wants to help with technical work. Is there anything she can do?"

"Edwin, what's the plural for Ox?" "Oxen. The farmer used his oxen." "Brian,""What?" "What's the plural for box?""Boxen! I bought two boxen of doughnuts."---Brain's stupid in school comedy skit

"I'm the dude, playing the dude, disguised as another dude." ----Tropic Thunder

It was just after he had said this that an young woman with auburn colored hair, almond shaped eyes, and light freckles covering her cheeks walked into the door, along with on of his nurses. She stood while the nurse spoke, “Doctor, we have someone who wants to help with technical work. Is there anything she can do.” “As a matter of fact there are a few things I need to be done if you don’t mind.” Said Lilan, addressing Jessie. “Thank you for showing her in,” he said, turning to the nurse. Watching as she nodded and walked out the door. “You’ll have to forgive me if I’m not very welcoming at the moment, I’m not exactly in the most stress free situation at the moment.” He said in an apologetic tone. “What I need you and LEP guy over here to do is to go down into my lab and get some equipment. In the storage room is a large microscope that I need brought to my office. What I need is for you to set it up in here and make sure that it’s in perfect working condition. I’m sure since it hasn’t been used in a while that it might have a few bugs or kinks.” Jake stood up, his bio suite crinkling as he prepared to leave the room for the front hallway to wait on his family. “I’ll need that ready by the time I get back, which should be in around five or ten minutes.” Jake began to walk around his desk and toward the door. “Thanks for your help.” After he was outside the door he took off his bio suite and placed a surgical mask over his face.

Jake’s thoughts immediately turned back to his daughter Ashley, his stomach filling with anxiety and fear at the thought that she might have contracted the disease. He closed his eyes in an attempt to control the mounting worry so that it wouldn’t show on his face. He walked quickly to the front door of the hospital and began to pace back and forth in front of the glass window, waiting for them to arrive. He glanced at the group of people who sat in front of the television wearing surgical masks. One couldn’t mistake the looks of sadness and confusion on the parent’s face, nor the look of blissful ignorance on those of the children as they sat watching the television. Jake’s gaze lightened a little as he looked at the people that were going through the same problems as he. Just like him, they worried about a loved one they cared of him. Just like him, they feared the possible fate of their family. He felt comforted by the thought that he was not the only person going through these feelings of fear, anxiety, and sadness. He had stopped pacing and was looking intently upon the children sitting in front of the television whose sparkling, young eyes watched the animated characters jumping around the screen. He smiled inwardly before turning back toward the window. Outside the sky was dark and the streets empty. The city was in total lockdown. Everyone who was a normal citizen would be kept in the security of their homes until the plague passed over. The only people allowed to travel out of their houses were those who had a job relating solely to the purpose of helping with the plague, such as the LEP, medical staff, and the D.O.E.A (Department of Emergency Action). The D.O.E.A would be delivering food and drinks around the city. Jake watched as a pair of lone headlights shown through the darkness, closely followed by an LEP officers car, no doubt to ensure they were headed straight to the hospital.

Sarah stepped out of the car and opened the car door and stepped out, closing it behind her before opening the back door. She gently shook Ashley awake and, after closing the back door, locking the car, and waving her thanks to the LEP officer, headed toward the hospital doors. Jake opened up the doors to meet them. He wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her gently on the lips. The kiss was as much greeting as it was a reassuring gesture. “It’s going to be ok.” He whispered looking into her eyes, the words were for him as well as her. “I know,” she said as she hugged him tighter. Jake smiled one more time before turning toward his daughter. He wrapped her up in a big hug and twirled around, a false face of happiness and calm planted on his face. “Ugh, dad, could you hold off on the twirling when we’re in public? I’m not sixteen anymore you know.” She said in mock annoyance. “Sure sweetie, as soon as you can abstain from using your cell phone for an entire weekend.” He countered. “Like that’s going to happen.” She said sniffling slightly as she smiled. “Besides It’s not like I can just stop talking to my friends.” “Well then, it looks like you’re stuck with my twirly hugs.” He said with a smile. “Besides it’s not like I can just stop loving you.” “I know dad, I love you to.” She sniffled again. “So can we get this disease check thing done so I can go back home and get some sleep? I’m really tired, as you can imagine, today was a rather long day.” She said as she rubbed some sleep from her eyes. “Of course baby. Come on, let’s get you checked.” He smile reassuringly toward Sarah once again before they headed over to the left wing of the hospital where a low powered microscope sat, which was used to check the patients blood for the virus. After a few protests from Ashley about needles, he took the blood sample and placed it on a slide. He hesitated before placing the slide under the lens, afraid of what he would find. He took a shaky breath, focused the lens, and peered into the eyepiece. He instantly grew rigid as he stared at the virus bacterium that invaded his daughter’s blood cells. His heart fell into his stomach and it felt as if he couldn’t breath no matter how hard he tried to inhale. A numbness and hollowness in him spread through his body. He couldn’t remember how to breath, how to move, how to think. All his focus was on the deadly bacterium attacking his daughter’s blood cells. “Dad? Dad what is it?” Asked Ashley, noticing the odd behavior of her father. Ashley’s voice brought Jake out of his stupor enough for him to look at his wife. Sarah stared at him with a growing look of horror. Jake felt his head nod up and down stiffly, though he didn’t believe he had done so voluntarily. His whole body was unfeeling and he had lost the ability to speak. “Dad, what’s wrong?” Jake’s mind debated internally about what to tell her. Weather he should tell her the truth or sugar coat it like he’d done in the past when he’d thought that reality would be to much for her to bear. His mind wouldn’t seem to work as he searched for some kind of euphemism to dampen the blow of such a harsh truth. He finally looked over at his daughter. “You’re dying.” He finally croaked out.

Mark Twain ~ "Let first assume that you are a member of congress, let us further assume that you are an idiot, But I repeat myself."

98% of teenagers do or have tried smoking pot. If you're one of the 2% who hasn't, copy & paste this in your signature."Common sense is not intelligence, common sense is simply the ability to not make yourself look stupid.""Sharp pointy teeth" & " I fart in your general direction" & "you mother was a hampster and your father smelt of elder beries". guy 1: - Who's thatguy 2: - I think its a kingguy 1: - Why do think that? guy 2: - cause he hasn't got sh$t all over him! - Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Jessie was startled when the doctor gave her such a big responsibility. Bugs? What kind of bugs. She gave a blink before heading into the other room. She gave a whistle at the size of the microscope and she gave a smile. The thought of the thing having bugs left her brain.

At the side of the room was a box of used tools. They wouldn't be her first choice, but they were better than nothing. The box was a lot heavier than she thought and she staggered under the weight. But she managed to get them to the microscope. She soon got to work, by opening the plate that led to the various wires.

"No wonder this thing doesn't work, it's so old and by the looks of it, under used," she said to herself.

Taking a wrench from the tool box, she reached inside. Her legs lifting into the air. She would get this thing up and running in no time. She shrugged off the fact that she had ten minutes. That gave her a bit of fun. Soon, she had all the wires arranged and re-wired. She reached over to the various gears on the other end, giving them oil and a tightened them.

Pushing herself out of the microscope she closed the backing and plugged it into the wall. It purred into life. She wiped the sweat off her brow, leaving a trace of oil behind. "There we go. The doctor will be pleased." She soon stepped out.

"Edwin, what's the plural for Ox?" "Oxen. The farmer used his oxen." "Brian,""What?" "What's the plural for box?""Boxen! I bought two boxen of doughnuts."---Brain's stupid in school comedy skit

"I'm the dude, playing the dude, disguised as another dude." ----Tropic Thunder

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